A comprehensive review on pleiotropic effects and therapeutic potential of soy lecithin

Lecithin is one of the most useful and valuable by-products of the oilseed industry and has long been a crucial component of a wide range of both food and non-food items. Lecithin obtained from soybean (Soy) is called soy lecithin and is composed of triglycerides, fatty acids, pigments, sterols, steroid glycosides, esters, tocopherols, and carbohydrates. Lecithin serves a variety of industrial purposes in food as well as non-food industries. Soy lecithin has grown in importance as a component of nutraceuticals and food supplements during the past few decades. Soy lecithin primarily consists of phospholipids including phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylinositol (PI), phosphatidylserine (PS) which plays a major role in biological and structural processes such as cellular signalling and membrane transport. Soy lecithin has exceptional biocompatibility and is amphipathic in nature. Because of these special qualities, soy lecithin is best suited to be used as a major pharmacological excipient, and it is broadly used in drug delivery systems. It also has a significant role in medicine as it is an antioxidant, increases biliary secretions, maintains cholesterol levels, storehouse of choline, and supports the synthesis of crucial neurotransmitters involved in memory recall and storage. The core intent of this review is to investigate and update the information on the therapeutic importance of soy lecithin and highlight its various other commercial roles in the pharmaceutical industries and food industries.